Heart of Flame
by NoxMortis
Summary: Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy go on a mission together. What do they find? A... Fire Dragon? Slightly AU, No pairings. Rated T just in case
1. Déjà vu

**Well, it's been awhile since I've actually uploaded anything onto Fanfiction. I sincerely apologize for my absence as a writer. Though I promise you that I was writing! They just weren't things that I could upload onto fanfiction cuz... well... they would have to be fan fics... Most of what I've been writing lately has been comepletely original work so I'll probably end up uploading it on deviantart...  
Well anyway, now that the ranting is done, I'd like to welcome you to my first Fairy Tail fanfiction! I'm really not sure how it will turn out, but I don't plan any pairings or romance... for some reason I have issues with anything romance... Going on... Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fairy Tail would I really be writing about it on Fanfiction? The only characters that belong to me are the OCs that will come in later... I don't want to give anything away.  
**

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Heart of Flame  
Chapter One

_The large beast that stood before them looked menacing in itself. Its lips were peeled back revealing large fangs. It was crouched into a defensive position and ready to strike at any moment. The only thing was, it wasn't facing them. It instead stood in front of them toward their adversary. _

_A breath caught in Natsu's throat making more of a sputtering sound that a gasp, "I… Igneel?"_

_

* * *

_

Charle awoke with a start. The white cat franticly looked around and realized that she had been sleeping on Wendy's lap. Natsu was dangling off of his train seat into the aisle. Happy was asleep on the seat next to Wendy. Lucy, with a quite irritated look on her face, kept her attention to the scenery that they passed as the train continued on. Charle looked up at Wendy as she began to stroke her snow-colored fur.

A slightly worried expression hinted at her features as the Dragon Slayer spoke, "You okay?"

The white cat didn't reply right away, "Oh, yeah… I'm fine, don't worry about me."

Wendy didn't look convinced, but she sensed that her partner didn't wish to speak of the matter, so she changed the subject. "Aren't you excited Charle?"

"Excited for what?"

"This mission!"

"What makes this mission any more special than the others that we've gone on since joining Fairy Tail?"

Wendy looked slightly offended before she began answering Charle, "Well, first of all, we're going on this mission with Lucy and Natsu. Secondly, this mission seems to involve what could be dragons Charle!"

Charle nodded as her gaze and thoughts slowly drifted from Wendy. _'What about my dream?' _The cat thought to herself, _'I've never had a vision in a dream before. Could this one be…?'_ Charle looked over to her pink-haired friend sprawled over the seat next to Lucy. _'If so… then what about Natsu? Was that really-'_

Charle's thoughts were interrupted as the train came to a screeching halt. Lucy immediately stood up and grabbed a firm hold of Natsu, guiding him as he stumbled trying to find the nearest exit. Wendy picked up Charle and a drowsy Happy into her arms before following Lucy off of the train.

* * *

Natsu seemed to recover from his severe motion sickness as soon as they got on the path to their destination. The location that the mission flyer (whatever they call those things) entailed was far more remote than the nearest train would take them. The fiery, pink-haired Dragon Slayer seemed to have a particular skip to his step that he didn't usually carry. Lucy wasn't far behind Natsu with Happy at her side.

"Hey Lucy~" Happy tugged at the Stellar mage's pants, "why didn't Gray or Erza come along with us?"

Lucy put a hand up to her chin as she tried to remember the events that took place earlier that day. "Um, I think that Erza went on a mission with Gray and Garjeel. Why do you ask Happy? Aren't you glad that Charle is here with us?"

"Aye~!" The little blue cat gave a joyful leap as the group continued their trek.

Lucy noted the awkward silence that suddenly plagued the group. Usually in cases such as this, Natsu would start up and unnecessary argument with Gray that would result in Erza having to break up the quarreling. Natsu seemed to be quite distant as he walked ahead of everyone else. He was constantly pausing to peer up at the sky like he was looking for something. Lucy looked back at the young girl that was chatting with Charle not far behind.

"Hey Wendy," Lucy called.

Wendy looked up and hurried over to her. "What is it, Lucy?"

"Do you sense anything strange?" Lucy thought that she might as well ask. If Natsu was sensing something off, then Wendy should be sensing the same thing… theoretically of course.

Wendy tilted her head in slight confusion, "No, I don't sense anything. Why, is there something wrong?"

"No, no… Don't worry about it. I was just curious seeing how Natsu is acting kind of strange."

Wendy looked ahead at the Dragon Slayer. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I can't see why he would be acting like this…" Wendy tapered off. "Unless it had something to do with the mention of dragons in the mission report."

Lucy's eyes brightened, "That's it Wendy!"

Natsu turned around and looked at the two girls before giving them the "shush" motion. His gaze was averted by the sound of roaring in the distance followed by a deep rumbling of the ground.

"What was that?"

A look a excitement lightened up Natsu's features, but both Lucy and Wendy were allowed a small glimpse before he began sprinting toward the source of commotion.

"Natsu! Wait!" Lucy called.

Lucy's jaw fell open as she watched Wendy dart past her. "Hurry up Lucy!" she called back. "Natsu's going to leave us behind!"

All Lucy could do was sigh before she hightailed it in the direction of her friends.

* * *

By nightfall, Lucy was able to catch up with her two companions. Wendy was able to talk Natsu into camping for the night and waiting for Lucy. She thoroughly thanked the wind slayer for her consideration. As the three accompanied by the two cats sat around the fire, a strange silence descended on them. Lucy couldn't help but surrender to the feeling of foreboding that crept around her in the silence of the night. Wendy had fallen asleep long ago with both Charle and Happy snuggled up against her. Lucy was staring into the flames of the fire that burned away at thick branches with an occasional pop.

Lucy looked over at Natsu who was sitting on a rock not far from the fire, but far enough for him to seem alone. His chin was resting upon his knees that were pulled up to his chest. His eyes were fixated on the flames; their reflection flickered in his glassy eyes. Lucy quietly walked over to Natsu and sat next to him on the large boulder he was sitting on. "What's bothering you, Natsu?"

"Hmm?" Natsu looked up at Lucy.

"You've been acting weird all day."

Natsu looked back down at the fire with a blank expression on his face. "I don't really know…"

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" Lucy asked. "You seem so into yourself."

Natsu's gaze refused to meet hers as he continued their one-sided conversation, "

I guess… I've just been having this strange feeling all day…"

"A strange feeling? Like what?"

Natsu growled at Lucy's constant prodding, "I don't know. I just kind of feel like I've done all of this before… Kind of like… what's the word-"

"Déjà vu?"

"Yeah, that's it… Déjà vu…"

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**Don't worry! I don't plan to go all romance on you guys! Now that I think about it, this story may be slow for the first few chapters... Anyway R&R! Comments are an authors fuel! The more I get the more inclined I am to come out with faster updates!**


	2. Distant Lands

**A/N: Man this chapter is short! I'm sorry it took so long. I was actually spending my time writing what is now to be the third chapter, so expect a quick update. On the other hand, FanFiction was giving me issues. so this chapter would have been up a week ago if it had not been for that.  
**

**This chapter is mainly a filler, but don't skip it because it has some important information.  
**

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Chapter 2: Distant Lands

"NATSU!"

The usual loud and rowdy guild immediately quieted down, for no one dared to pique Makarov's wrath. It was quite unusual for the small mage to be so outraged for no seemingly apparent reason. With his chest puffed out and head held high, Makarov stomped around the guild searching for his wanted Dragon Slayer.

"DON'T YOU TRY AND HIDE FROM ME, NATSU!"

Erza Scarlet gracefully approached the fuming mage. "What's the matter, Master?"

The mere presence of the scarlet-haired mage seemed to calm Makarov, as was apparent in his tone as he spoke to her. "I need to find Natsu. Do you have any clue where he went?"

Erza sighed inwardly to herself before explaining the situation, "Natsu left with Wendy and Lucy on a mission, Master."

Makarov froze, stunned. After a few moments he furiously began to massage his forehead.

"What is so important, Master?" Erza asked in her usual monotone manner. She had to admit to herself, though, that she was slightly curious. Few things bothered Makarov as much as this seemed to be.

"Which mission did they go on?" He quietly asked.

"I think it was entitled 'Fire Shrine', Master."

"Damn it!" Makarov shouted. Erza was slightly startled by his sudden outburst. He turned away from her and mumbled something incoherent to himself.

"What is the matter?"

"That mission takes those three out of Fiore," Makarov sighed.

"I do not see what is wrong with that. Natsu has been out of Fiore before."

"No, no, you don't understand, Erza. It takes them _out of Fiore._"

Despite the exaggerated hand motions of Makarov's hands and the way he formed the last three words of that sentence, Erza still did not understand what he meant. What could be so important about leaving familiar lands?

Sensing her confusion, Makarov went on, "Erza, they are travelling into Isovitian."

Finally understanding the urgency of the situation, Erza's heart sank. If it had been anyone else it wouldn't have been nearly as much of a problem. But sending _him_ to Isovitian was worse than inviting a Wolf to protect your heard of sheep.

"I must go help!" Erza made a mad dash toward the exit, but Makarov grabbed her before she could get very far.

"No, Erza, I need you do something else for me."

Makarov locked his eyes with Erza's. They stared at each other for several moments before the young mage gave in.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I need you to go find me a Dragon Scout."

* * *

**I really don't like how this chapter came out. It was short and descriptive... sigh... In the next one, we will return to our favorite Dragon Slayer! R&R!**


	3. God of Fire

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it!**

**EDIT: Updated. Thanks _Crestfallenfeline _I totally didn't catch the repeat. That has been fixed now so it should be set for smooth reading.  
**

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Chapter 3: God of Fire

"_Remember Natsu," The large fire dragon spoke with sincere authority, "fire is a dangerous power and should only be used to protect the ones you love."_

"_Like you, Igneel?" The small pink-haired boy chirped._

_The fatherly dragon chuckled, "Of course, my little Natsu, just like me."_

Natsu's eyes fluttered open as he felt the warmth of the fire burning beside him fade away. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of the dreary night. He felt exceptionally lazy, compared to his usual, energetic self. Maybe his dragon instincts were trying to tell him something, not that the Dragon Slayer had any clue what that might be.

Natsu adjusted his position against the uncomfortable rock he was sleeping against. His eyes were fixated on the dying flames before him. He watched as the embers ate away at the dwindling pile of wood. As the fire burned on, a small branch would fall into the ashes, sending several sparks flying into the air. The occasional, nightly breeze would blow by as well. It would sweep over the weak flames and blow them out, only to be revived by an ember that was protected by the remaining chunks of wood. Natsu had always been mesmerized by how his element danced against the black canvas of night, the spectacular heat that it produced, the sheer violence and hostility it showed to all it touched; its fangs bore to all but its care-taker.

The Dragon Slayer began to slowly drift back into slumber, when he heard it. It was a threatening, beastly growl, yet nostalgic all the same. Natsu immediately stood up; he didn't care how his stiff muscles screamed in protest, or how every inch of his being told him not to go. There was something out there, and the growing sensation of curiosity would not leave him. Natsu hesitated for a moment. He would be leaving his comrades behind if he went to explore… Nah, he was sure they'd be fine. If Lucy woke up before he got back, he would just say he was… scouting ahead… Yeah, that was it.

With a slight feeling of guilt hanging over him, Natsu wandered off into the dark forest. His eyes scanned the wooded area for any sign of movement in the thick darkness, to no avail. He was positive that the noise he heard previously was close by, his ears wouldn't fail him there, but he couldn't find the source. The fire mage wandered on and became frustrated with himself. He had always been a good tracker, but why couldn't he find this beast? Based on the sound he heard, it was large. The fact that he wasn't attacked right after he heard it meant that it wasn't growling at him. So what was it growling at? Natsu froze in his tracks. A light breeze swept past him when he caught the scent.

_'Damn!'_ Natsu mentally scolded _'Lucy, Wendy!' _

As if set into action with a cue, a blood curdling scream echoed throughout the silent woods. The Dragon Slayer shot off like a dart. He was such an idiot for leaving his team behind. Each step he took felt like a mile, each branch he hurtled felt like a mountain, but he finally reached the camp to an astonishing sight. The camp fire had somehow rekindled, even through Natsu had merely left the embers to die away. Several newly toppled trees lay scattered around Natsu's partners who were huddled against a large rock. Wendy looked shocked, stray tears glistened on her cheeks at Lucy cradled her in her arms whispering assuring words of comfort.

Charle stood next to Wendy trying to do the same yet looking nearly as shocked as her partner.

"What happened?" Natsu asked, "Are you guys okay?"

Lucy's eyes snapped up at the fire mage, "Where were you?" With none of her usual composure, the Stellar mage stood up, crossed her arms, and glared at Natsu demanding an answer.

"I-… I just went off to get some more wood for the fire…" He guiltily mumbled.

"Yeah? Well, while you were doing that we were nearly attack by some… thing!"

"It was a dragon…" The young wind mage murmured. "It was a dragon Natsu!"

Everyone froze. A thick, tension filled silence encroached upon the small camp site. Natsu stood, rooted to the spot, as he stared, dumbfounded, at the young Dragon Slayer. Even Lucy's rage had been doused by the surprising turn of events. Even the sounds of the surrounding forest seemed to have been silenced. The only sound that could be heard was the occasional crackle of the newly burning fire before them.

It was Charle who finally broke the silence, "What do you mean, Wendy? That couldn't have been a dragon."

"But it was!" The wind mage shouted, "There was no mistaking it!"

Natsu looked away from the team. As much as he would like to believe that it was a dragon that had just attacked camp, there was no way; a dragon would have done much more damage. He had to admit, however, that the growl he originally left camp to follow sounded extremely like a dragon. Not to mention the scent had a sense of nostalgia that the fire mage would occasionally remember when he would reminisce the old days with Igneel. There had to be something to Wendy's story.

"Natsu," the young girl pleaded, "it was a dragon, I'm sure of it!"

"How do you know, Wendy?" Natsu asked.

"It's aura was unmistakable! It was extremely powerful, only like the aura that other Dragon Slayers have, Natsu!"

"Aura?" Lucy asked.

"That's one of Wendy's abilities of Wind Magic," Charle explained, "based on a person's aura, Wendy identify them with the type."

Lucy nodded.

"It smelled like a dragon too, Natsu. Didn't you notice?"

Natsu grinned happily, "Of course I did!"

"See, it was a dragon, it had to be!"

Natsu's grin faded as he looked back down at the fire. His breath caught in his throat. The fire wasn't burning anything. The wood that was there had burned away long ago yet the fire was as alive as ever. The fire mage crouched down by the flames. They weren't even touching the ground; the fire was just floating tenderly above the ground as if to prevent the fragile forest from catching fire. Not only that, Natsu could smell the scent left by whatever relit the fire from nothing. It held the scent of a dragon, but there was something else there. It was something completely alien to what Natsu knew and it sent a chill down his spine.

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**Read and Review! I know that you fans are out there, I get the email notifications. More reviews means faster updates! **


	4. Dragon Scout

**A/N: Very sorry for the delay in updates! Here's the next chapter, hopefully we'll get things moving along!**

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Chapter 4: Dragon Scout

As much as Erza hated to admit it, she didn't particularly want to abide to Makarov's wishes when she received his request. She was very familiar with the term "Dragon Scout", but never had she ever thought, or hoped, that she would be sent to find one.

From the many things that Erza had read over her peaceful evenings, she was already quite informed of what she was being sent to look for. The Dragon Scouts were apparently frightful beings that the dragons themselves didn't like to mess with. The Scouts lived in very distant lands, far from their more reptilian counter parts. Erza had seen a few sketches of various Dragon Scouts. Each one she saw, all from different acclaimed authors and artists were very different, yet very similar.

All of the pieces were drawn very precisely, but few were noted to have actually seen the elusive Dragons. Most of the drawings depicted a very dragon-like creature with mammal-like features. Some of the captions went along and explained the beast into farther detail saying various things from, "large mammals with the scales of a dragon…" to, "snake-like" but they all had one thing in common; they depicted a creature that was half dragon, half beast.

The works of art also depicted Scouts adorning different colored scales. Some of the artists went far enough to represent elements, much like the Dragons that Erza was far more familiar with. Yet, from the drawings, Erza could see that the Scouts were far more agile, with an elongated frame, much like a snake, than the lumbering masses of Fiore's Dragons. The Dragon Scouts had long, tails with various arrangements of either protective platting, or jagged, talon-like spikes. Moral of the story, the Dragon Scouts were definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Erza Scarlet passively sighed to herself as her train slowly came to a screeching halt. She took enough time exiting the vehicle to notice that she was the only one getting off at this stop. Of course, however, that was only to be expected. In order for the skilled mage to reach her destination, she had a lot of walking to do in the dreadfully uneventful forest paths that lead to the heart of Dragon Scout territory. In all honesty, Erza didn't know how she was going to convince one to let her talk to it before it tried to kill her, nonetheless bring one back to the guild. What was Makarov thinking?

* * *

Lucy didn't consider herself someone who complained a lot, but man was she tired. After the incident the night before, Natsu quickly packed up their things and began to walk the trail again, much to Lucy's protest. The sun was well in the sky, and they hadn't stopped since they began, even Happy and Charle looked as if they could use a break. As much as Lucy wished to ask Natsu, there had been something very strange about his demeanor since they restarted their trek. He hadn't spoken a work to any of them, and there was an intense glare of determination plastered onto his face, not that Lucy could any longer see it because he was walking a good ten feet ahead of them.

It was finally Happy who broke the dense silence that had accumulated between the group, "Hey, Natsu~"

The Dragon Slayer didn't respond.

"Natsu, I'm tired,"

Still, there was no response.

"Natsu?"

When he didn't respond for the third time, Lucy became immensely suspicious. If anyone, Happy wouldn't be the one that Natsu would ignore. She began to worry that there might actually be something wrong with him. As much as her abused muscles screamed at her, Lucy ran to catch up with the distraught fire mage.

"Natsu, are you okay?" She asked, but she soon realized that she didn't need to. As soon as Lucy saw Natsu's face, she could tell. He still wore his determined face, but there were dark circles under his eyes that gave away his true condition. Yet, he refused to make eye contact with the stellar mage, which infuriated her, but she didn't have enough energy to protest. Defeated, Lucy slouched over, slowed her walk, and regained step with the rest of the group.

"Did you find out what was wrong, Lucy?" Wendy asked. She, too, seemed very concerned for the Dragon Slayer.

"No, he still isn't talking to me," Lucy sighed.

"How strange," Wendy scratched her brow.

"I know, I've never seen him like this,"

"Maybe it's a Dragon Slayer thing. Let me go try,"

"Give it your best shot,"

With newfound determination, Wendy ran to fall into step with the fire mage ahead of her. Natsu didn't acknowledge her presence, but the young mage just let it roll off of her shoulders.

"Natsu, is everything alright?" Wendy asked.

She, as well, won no response from Natsu, so she decided to try again.

"Does it have anything to do with what happened last night?"

Just like that, Natsu halted in his tracks. He looked down at the ground as if he was trying to find the right words to say. Wendy looked up at Lucy, who stopped several feet behind them, and gave her the thumbs up.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

When the words finally came, they were so quiet that Wendy had to strain to hear them, "It… smelled so much like Igneel."

Wendy nodded in understanding. Although she herself hadn't ever met the fire dragon herself, she, too, noticed the strange presence of fire aura (from the last chapter) in the area.

"But…" Natsu began again, "there was something else… there… Something… unfamiliar…"

That came as a shock to the young mage, but before she had any time to question Natsu about it, some of the underbrush ahead of the group began to shake. Natsu's head shot up to see what it was. Wendy looked nervously back at Lucy who returned her expression. A tall figure emerged from the brush within the protective shadowing of the forest, yet a familiar scent wafted into the area. As the figure stepped within sight, all became clear… for the most part

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**So? Did'ya hate my cliff? I can tell you that I love writing cliff hangers, so if you don't like the dying feeling of needing to read more, than this isn't the story for you. **

**Please R&R, I need fuel people, fuel!  
**


	5. Not so Pleasant Surprise

**A/N: Eh, this chapter is kinda short and boring. Many apologies. I really do hope to get into the exciting action within the next chapter or two. And I've been loving the reviews, thanks guys!**

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Chapter 5: Not so Pleasant Surprise

Makarov sat irritably at the bar in front of Mira who was cleaning one of the glasses. Erza had left several hours ago, Makarov knew that it would take awhile for her to return with what she was looking for. The guild had already returned to its normal chaos, but frankly, Makarov could bother himself to care; there was too much to think about. Mira had decided that it was better to leave him alone. There was nothing she could say to pull him out of his solemn state. It wasn't until Juvia came and sat down next to him, that Mira's strategy went down the drain.

"Um… Master?" Juvia cautiously took a seat next to the small mage. She was severely afraid that he would explode all over her like he nearly did over Natsu earlier, it was just luck that he wasn't there to receive Makarov's anger.

It took Makarov a second to gather his bearings before he responded to Juvia. "Yes, Juvia?"

"Um, do you know where Erza went? I have a few questions to ask her about… um… girl things," Juvia's heart started beating rapidly. What if Makarov asked her what she meant by "girl things." Oh no! What if he found out that Juvia liked Gray? Oh no! Oh no!

Makarov sighed before answering her, "Erza left for Del Cobo."

"Eh? But that is so far away!" Juvia exclaimed.

"Del Cobo?' Mira chirped in, "Isn't that where Natsu said he, Lucy, and Wendy were going for their latest mission?"

Juvia grabbed her chin and thought about it for a moment. "I think you're right Mira! I do remember Natsu saying that."

"What?" Makarov shouted. Both Mira and Juvia jumped in surprise at the small mage's sudden outburst. "Natsu is in Del Cobo?"

"Yeah, what's so wrong with Del Cobo?" Mira asked as she set down the glass she was cleaning.

"Dragons live there!" Makarov shouted.

Both Juvia and Mira looked at each other in panic. The two of them could only imagine.

* * *

Natsu stepped in front of Wendy to put himself in between her and the strange figure that had just stepped out of the bush. Yet he found himself relaxing instead of tensing up like he normally would. There was something threatening yet very nostalgic and soothing in the scent. That's when it stepped into sight.

"Eh? Erza?"

Erza looked a little surprised to see her fellow guild mates standing before her in stranger lands. That air of shock was soon replaced by furious anger.

"What are you three doing here?" Erza shouted angrily.

"We have a mission here. But what are _you_ doing here?" Natsu argued while waving the flyer in Erza's face; which she didn't seem to like much. Titania snatched the piece of crumpled of paper from Natsu's hands. She quickly scanned over its contents before handing it back to him with a scowl.

"What was master thinking?" Erza sighed.

"Wait, master sent you?" Wendy asked.

Lucy ran up to the three majes with Happy and Charle not far behind. "Erza! So nice to see you!"

"You as well, Lucy," Erza slightly bowed her head in greeting to the Stellar Spirit mage.

"Wait, Erza," Wendy began, "why did Master Makarov send you?"

"He sent me to find something," Erza quickly answered.

Natsu sensed the tension in her voice and he could tell she was hiding something important, but Erza wasn't the kind of person that you could just coax words out of. Yet, if Natsu didn't' ask her what she was sent to find, the mystery of it all would be nagging at him for the rest of the day.

"Erza, what did gramps what you to find?"

Erza didn't answer. She quickly contemplated the consiquenses of what he actions might entail if she told the spontaneous Dragon Slayer. Wendy sensed this conflict and quickly changed the subject.

"So, Erza, how was the trip up here?" Wendy asked trying to quickly change the subject before the unexpected meeting became an unwanted meeting.

"Eh? Oh, it was long, but quite uneventful. Now, if you don't mind, Natsu, I have a mission to be focusing on, and I don't need you distracting me," Erza bluntly finished and turned around to leave.

Natsu grabbed Erza's shoulder which halted her. "Where are you off to?" There was a certain malicious intent locked away in the depths of his tone that set off many red flags.

"First, I'm off to find a place to stay because I might be in this region for awhile," Erza said quickly and tried to pull away from the Dragon Slayer's grasp, but he wouldn't let go.

"Let us come with you."

"Why should I, you'll just get in my way."

"There's no way that your mission will take any longer than ours,"

Natsu's eyes made contact with Erza's. The two of them glared at each other for several tense moments before Erza finally broke the silence.

"Fine."

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**DON'T FORGET!**

**Read & Review  
**


	6. Maliciousness

**A/N: Eh, it's been awhile. Okay, not that long, but I am sorry about the lack of updates. This chapter isn't very exciting, and for that I apologize. It's really a transition chapter. We're taking a break form Team Natsu right now and we're following two other characters who will be very important in the near future. XD ~Enjoy!**

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Chapter 6: Maliciousness

Pain. Remorse. Malice.

These were the only animalistic emotions that he could bear himself to conjure. He felt nothing but anger and hatred toward everything. There was nothing for him here, there, or anywhere. He was never allowed any liberties. There was never a moment of peace. No matter how far he searched the depths of his mind, there was only pain, darkness, and the horrible scorching sensation of fire.

Oh, how he hated fire. There was nothing good about an element that could only destroy. That is all that fire did; it ate up everything, even those foolish enough to wield it. They used it against him. They tortured him with it. They teased him, poked at him, laughed at him, and cursed at him all because of the flames. Oh, how he hated fire.

They taught him very few things. He found these few instructions easy to follow.

Hate. Pain. Destroy.

* * *

He honestly felt quite bad. How was he supposed to know that the small humans would be so frightened of him? He was only curious. Even as the sun met the peak of its ascent into the sky, his curiosity would not diminish. Among the two humans there, there was the nostalgic scent of a third. This deeply troubled him. All three scents were quite alien, but he could identify their origin. Each of the scents had a distinct industrial tinge to them, which only emanates from one place, Fiore. He had never been there, nor planned to ever be there, but there was always a looming sense of wonder he always felt when pondering about it.

He burrowed his brow and growled to himself. He dug all four of his daggered paws into the soft, forest dirt which halted him immediately. He rose his canine-like head up into the air, and peered outward with his hawk-like eyes. He couldn't reach high enough, even with his serpentine neck, to see above the tree tops, which frustrated him. The spines on his back clinked together as he moved around. His long, mace-like tail dug small trenches into the ground as it swayed impatiently back-and-forth. His red scales seemed to glitter in the sun when compared to his maroon fur. Large, curious ears panned upward to listen intently on the surrounding area. At the end of his long, draconic muzzle, hot steam blew out of his nostrils. Piercing green eyes inspected the forest around him.

He inspected his territory constantly. Throughout the many colonies and tribes that lived within his lands, there was a lot that could go wrong. He usually never had to worry about invaders, however. Others of his kind were keen to stay out of his territory, just as he was just as keen to stay out of theirs. There was never a reason to consult a fellow anyway. Each of them had their set territory and set shrines to guard; they were too busy to get into each other's business. That's why the scent of the area really put him off. There had, in fact, been another in his territory, but not one that he was acquainted with. It was possible that it was just a rogue looking for a mate to share land with, but that was highly unlikely. Very few of his kind every mated, there was no reason. There was another scent here that bothered him as well.

For the second time that day, he found himself scenting Fiore. He didn't really like the smell of the place, the scent of industry, one of the key reasons why he never bothered to visit. However, there was something deep beneath the scent of machinery that pulled at him. There was the scent of flames.

A deep growl rose up his throat in ferocity. He was very angry at himself for not bothering to investigate the pair he found earlier. He should have known that the Fiorians would be up to no good, no matter how innocent they looked. His snarl was far louder than he had meant it to be, but at this point he couldn't care less. As quickly as he legs would carry him, the Dragon Scout darted off into the direction he had come from. He had a bone to pick, and he wasn't going to pick it lightly.


	7. Author's Note

I am sorry that this is an authors note when many of you were probably expecting a chapter :(  
I just really want to say that I have not dropped Heart of Flame, quite the opposite, but I have hit a horrible plateau with the plot and my muse. I'm going on vacation next week so hopefully the nice scenery will help me pick up my muse :3  
I can't express how sorry I am that I haven't said anything until now, please bear with me. I will get an update as soon as my muse returns.


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